Allergies Getting You Down? Try the Neti Pot

27Jul

Late summer and early fall are prime time for seasonal allergies. Dealing with sneezing and itchy, watery eyes is no fun when you’re trying to have fun enjoying the rest of the summer. And those cool nights when it’s tempting to sleep with the windows open? Forget it. It isn’t worth the misery in the morning.

I deal with seasonal allergies both in the very early spring and again in late July through about late September. A sinus infection would always accompany the late summer seasonal allergies because I also have a deviated septum.

Note the use of the past-tense: would. A simple non-medical home treatment that can be used every day is helping me enjoy the rest of the summer and the beginning of football season.

What is a Neti Pot?

Put simply, sinus allergies are caused when an irritant enters the nose and triggers a histamine reaction. Antihistamine medications are designed to stop this reaction, but they cause drowsiness and don’t last very long.

A Neti Pot is a little pot with a spout similar to a teapot. It is filled with a saline solution that is used to rinse allergens and irritants from the sinuses. It literally rinses out the nose. The idea is to not just treat the symptoms of irritants in the sinuses but to remove the irritants that are causing the problems.

How to Use a Neti Pot to Relieve Seasonal Allergies

Fill the pot with a saline solution. I like to warm the solution in the microwave for 20 seconds before using it. That makes it right about body temperature and more comfortable to use. Have a box of tissue handy nearby. Standing over the bathroom sink, the head is first tilted far to the right. Place the spout of the Neti Pot into the left nostril, open your mouth, and let the solution run into the left nostril and out the right into the sink.

After rinsing with about half the solution, stop. Use a tissue and gently blow your nose. Then tilt your head to the left, place the spout of the Neti Pot into the right nostril, open your mouth, and let the solution run into the left nostril and out the right into the sink. Use the rest of the solution. The using a tissue, gently blow your nose.

It isn’t painful at all. It just feels a little weird at first because you’re not used to it.

After my morning use of the Neti Pot, I immediately administer Kirkland Aller-Flo, a glucocorticoid spray with the same medication in the same dosage as Flonase but at about half of the cost. My family and I have used Kirkland Aller-Flo for at least two years and it works great for us. We’re very happy with it.

The Saline Solution Used in the Neti Pot

The purchased individual packets of saline powder are great for the occasional Neti Pot user. Just mix one individual packet of the powdered solution to 8 ounces of water that has been boiled and cooled. Stir it until the powder is dissolved. Pour it into the Neti Pot and use. Saline powder can also be purchased in bulk, measured with measuring spoons or an enclosed scoop, mixed with boiled water and used.

My husband and I use a Neti Pot every day. I’ll use it twice a day if I’ve been mowing, working in the garden, helping bale hay, or in an enclosed area with livestock such as a barn or indoor arena.

I make my own saline powder for pennies and mix it with 3 quarts of boiled water. Then I pour the liquid saline solution into a lidded pitcher that is kept in the bathroom where it’s handy for everyday use. I really like the pitcher linked here because the lid can be tightened, it has a handle, and the opening is big enough for me to get my hand into it to clean it well.

Here’s how to make your own powdered saline mix:

1 ¼ cups of salt
1/3 cup of baking soda

Mix together well with a whisk and store in an airtight container.

To make bulk neti pot saline solution to store in a lidded pitcher for everyday use:

Mix 1 Tablespoon of homemade powdered saline solution to 3 quarts of boiled, cooled water. Pour into a pitcher, cover with lid, and store in the bathroom to be handy for everyday use.

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